Fan who survived heart attack at Wrigley Field returning to thank Cubs employee who helped him

Cubs guest services ambassador Nirav Thakkar discusses helping David Danner and his son, Dylan, after Danner had a heart attack last year at Wrigley Field. Thakkar rode in the ambulance and stayed at the hospital until more family arrived from out of state. (David Haugh/Chicago Tribune)

Cubs guest services ambassador Nirav Thakkar discusses helping David Danner and his son, Dylan, after Danner had a heart attack last year at Wrigley Field. Thakkar rode in the ambulance and stayed at the hospital until more family arrived from out of state. (David Haugh/Chicago Tribune)

What do you say to a stranger who helped save your life and protect your child?

How do you put into words gratitude impossible to measure for a gesture unreasonable to expect?

Who can explain making a lifelong friend visiting “The Friendly Confines” without seeing a single pitch?

David Danner expects a flood of questions and emotions to overcome him Monday when he enters Wrigley Field for the Cubs-Diamondbacks game with his family and sees Nirav Thakkar, one of the team’s guest services ambassadors.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going to come out of my mouth or how I’ll feel,’’ Danner said in an interview from his home in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., about 50 miles northwest of Washington. “The last time I saw Nirav, I was laying on a stretcher, so I still need to shake his hand.’’

The last time Danner walked into the Wrigley bleachers almost 11 months ago, he left in an ambulance after a heart attack — setting off a frenetic chain of events that thrust Thakkar into the back of the emergency vehicle and in the middle of the Danners’ lives.

“We’re beyond thankful because if this had happened to Dave anywhere else, I don’t think it would have been a happy ending,’’ said Dana Danner, David’s wife. “I get emotional just talking about it. I might tackle Nirav when I see him, I’m so grateful for what he did.’’

Dana was vacationing in Florida with the couple’s 5-year-old daughter last Sept. 1 as David took their son, Dylan, then 11, to Chicago for a Cubs day game against the Braves. The Danner men arrived early for batting practice, positioning themselves in the left-field bleachers on a sunny, 68-degree afternoon.

As Dylan drifted toward where more of the home runs were landing, David sought to call the boy back. Suddenly, he lacked the energy to move or shout. He felt his arm go numb. He struggled breathing.

“I was only 40 years old and like, ‘This can’t be what I think it is,’ but in the back of my mind, I was like, ‘Your fat ass is having a heart attack,’ ’’ David said.

When Dylan chased down a home run ball closer to his dad, David finally got his son’s attention. He broke the bad news written all over his anguished face.

“He was having such a good time I didn’t want to tell him we had to leave, but I said, ‘I’m not feeling too good, buddy,’ ’’ David said. “That was hard.’’

They headed for help in the concourse, where David dropped to his knees to catch his breath. He sent Dylan to find an usher fast. Overwhelmed, Dylan nearly fainted from the anxiety.

One of the things that went through my head was I was telling Dylan everything was going to be all right and my last words to my son were going to be a lie.— David Danner

Enter Thakkar, a former cardiovascular sonographer the Cubs hired in 2016 who was working the bleacher gate. A supervisor asked Thakkar to clear a path to an elevator for a fan who suffered a heart attack, and he sprung into action. As paramedics from Superior Ambulance Service attending to David on a stretcher quickly passed, Thakkar followed them to the ambulance waiting by the Harry Caray statue at the corner of Sheffield Avenue and Addison Street.

“Then my boss asked me if I would escort them to the hospital because he was from out of town and the son was shaken up,’’ said Thakkar, 43. “I felt I needed to make sure Dylan was comfortable. I hopped in.’’

On the short ambulance ride to Illinois Masonic Medical Center a mile away, Thakkar tried distracting Dylan by asking the Nationals fan about his favorite players, Trea Turner and Daniel Murphy. David, still conscious, found himself conflicted trying to keep his son calm.

“At first, one of the things that went through my head was I was telling Dylan everything was going to be all right, and my last words to my son were going to be a lie,’’ he said. “But when Nirav came into the picture, it was better than the nitroglycerin they gave me. I relaxed. It meant the world to me that Nirav was right there for Dylan, easing his mind.’’

At the hospital, Thakkar kept Dylan company after finding the boy food and coaxing him into providing contact numbers for relatives. He FaceTimed with Dana for reassurance. Ryan Mortensen, a former Cubs events official no longer with the team, kept in constant communication with Thakkar and Dana. Dana frantically left her young daughter in Florida with a good friend and immediately took the first flight from Orlando to Chicago.

Meanwhile, doctors rushed David into emergency surgery, where cardiologist Surender Kumar placed a stent in the main artery, which was totally blocked.

“They told me it was ‘The Widowmaker,’ ’’ David said. “They say you have 90 minutes from the start of the attack to the stent placement — and we did it in 81. Every minute counted. Every quick response saved my life. It’s unbelievable what they did.’’

What Thakkar did after the surgery touched the Danners just as deeply. He stayed to comfort Dylan until receiving the good news everyone prayed for before leaving the boy in the care of a nurse until Dana arrived about 11 p.m.

“As a mother, Nirav took care of my baby boy,’’ Dana said. “You can’t ask for anything more than what he did for my son.’’

Said Dylan: “It was nice to have somebody to spend time with until Mom got there.’’

When Thakkar finally left the hospital, he returned to Wrigleyville to locate David’s truck, parked in an alley just off Waveland Avenue. Thakkar spent 45 minutes on hold with SpotHero explaining to the company the circumstances so the truck wouldn’t get towed — then another hour searching for the vehicle.

“Then I finally found it after looking around the neighborhood,’’ Thakkar said.

He texted the address of the parking spot to Dana and sent pictures of street landmarks so she could avoid getting lost in unfamiliar territory.

“Going to look for some stranger’s truck parked in Chicago?’’ David said. “That’s above and beyond the call.’’

Almost a year later, the Danners stay in touch with Nirav, a Cubs fan who grew up on Chicago’s South Side. After the Cubs eliminated the Nationals — the Danners’ hometown team — from the playoffs last October, Thakkar’s phone buzzed with a text message.

“Dana said if it had to be anybody, they were glad it was the Cubs,’’ Thakkar said.

David reflects on the traumatic day that preceded his successful heart surgery as a blessing in disguise. He changed his diet and lifestyle, losing 70 pounds so the 6-foot-1 man now weighs 197. The family treasures the Javier Baez-autographed baseball the Cubs sent Dylan but cherishes each day together even more than before David’s near-death experience.

“We spend more time together, we’re more active, enjoying little things,’’ Dana said. “It makes you realize how short time can be — and the good in people.’’

The Danners can’t wait to see the person whose goodness they never will forget.